In the thread "So Excited," Ark says he talked with Kacey Harper, Dir. of Football Ops and was told 19 early enrollee's, but not sure who they all are. Just from following Twitter I have seen pics of some of them showing their new lockers, like Hentz and Gainous and I know the QB from Pennsylvania is there and Tee Denson also I think. Not sure after that. I saw that Kleiman had an in-home visit with Ronald Triplette the other day, who is already signed, so he must not be coming until the summer.

It is great to get the juco's in for sure. I also imagine it is nice to get the high school guys in to get them through spring ball, but man, sometimes I feel like our society today is getting in way too big of a hurry. Most of those freshman will redshirt anyway, so why not enjoy that senior prom, run track or play baseball or basketball, go on a spring break trip, whatever. I suppose if you think you are going to the NFL you want to hurry up and get to that money, but most of these kids, I sure hope they don't regret giving up what can be one of the most fun times of your life.

Unfortunately, many of them will regret it. I personally know several kids (not necessarily D1) who poured their heart/soul and teenage years into football and got to college, quit within 2 years, return home, have no other skills to speak of, and are working entry level jobs. You can't tell me they aren't regretting it.

I love college football, but there is waaaaaayyyyyy too much priority placed on year around sports. People trash Kansas High School football, but we are closer to being right than Texas or Oklahoma. Talk about priorities being way out of line in those two states. I mean, what's more important, family, being a teenager, lifelong skills, or year around football? Some will say you can do it all, but not with much quality. Many of these youngsters are putting in 40 hour weeks in the summertime for football. Weights, 7 on 7, individuals, team camps, plus trying to play other sports. I know this conversation has been had before and some think our Kansas kids are at a disadvantage, but I'd argue just the opposite. Not having spring football, etc... is a allowing Kansas kids to develop other areas of their life.

In summary... I assure you many will end up regretting it. They may never admit it, but they will.

I agree as well Wild. I grew up in KS, graduated from KSU, but my job took me to AR after graduation. I am going to preface my next comments by saying I am a die-hard sports fanatic. Sometimes I think the only reason I went to class when I was in school was just so I could participate in my chosen sport (because if you didn't go to class, you didn't practice and if you didn't practice, you didn't play). However, with that being said, the focus here on athletics is crazy over-the-top.

I have two kids here in AR, both in high school sports. Their last block or period of class is "practice".....the entire school year. For example, my daughter plays volleyball. Her last block of class each day is volleyball practice....again, all academic year. In AR high school, there is only a two-week dead period that starts the last week of June and ends the first Monday after 4th of July. That means, they can legally practice their high school sport (they're "forced" to choose one) for 50 weeks a year and most student-athletes do.

Using my daughter's volleyball as an example; immediately following the conclusion of volleyball season (usually in early November), they start club (travel) volleyball. This will last until at least April, but sometimes until June. Well, in June they start their school volleyball practice (sans the two week dead period) for the next season. So, as you can see, it's all year around.

High school football (and most other sports) here in AR is the same way.....spring practice, 7-on-7 school sanctioned games in the summer, etc. Heck, even in junior high, they will frequently conduct two-a-days in the spring if weather is conducive......weights in Block Zero (in the morning before classes start), then normal football practice outside in their last block.

The high school basketball teams here play in early season tournaments in the Dallas area between Christmas and New Year.....so much for time with family. The baseball teams usually play in tournaments in AZ or FL during spring break....sounds fun, but as a family you have no choice where to spend your spring break and I would say it's not quality family time.

No wonder so many kids are burnt-out and/or experience injuries at a young age. The parents of these athletes are just as bad. A teammate of my daughter plays on a club volleyball team in Dallas (5+ hour drive) and we've met multiple boys through my son's baseball that plays on travel teams in the Little Rock area (about 3+ hours from us). One father paid for private QB lessons in Los Angeles for his son....they fly there at least once-a-month. Is it really worth-it??!!

wild@nite wrote: ↑
I have two kids here in AR, both in high school sports. Their last block or period of class is "practice".....the entire school year. For example, my daughter plays volleyball. Her last block of class each day is volleyball practice....again, all academic year. In AR high school, there is only a two-week dead period that starts the last week of June and ends the first Monday after 4th of July. That means, they can legally practice their high school sport (they're "forced" to choose one) for 50 weeks a year and most student-athletes do.

That's the way is was back in the 60s as well.
But if your coaches weren't worth the effort to put them out if they were on fire, all that time was wasted.

I learned more from my two NAIA All-Americans in fall camp, Jr. year, than I learned from the AzzHoles I'd had for two years in Ark.

Being confined to one sport does not seem ideal. If that had been the policy in my day, I would have only played baseball. It is not that I was particularly good at football, basketball, or track but all the same. I would not have known unless the opportunity to try was there.

Pick 'Em

Unfortunately, many of them will regret it. I personally know several kids (not necessarily D1) who poured their heart/soul and teenage years into football and got to college, quit within 2 years, return home, have no other skills to speak of, and are working entry level jobs. You can't tell me they aren't regretting it.

I love college football, but there is waaaaaayyyyyy too much priority placed on year around sports. People trash Kansas High School football, but we are closer to being right than Texas or Oklahoma. Talk about priorities being way out of line in those two states. I mean, what's more important, family, being a teenager, lifelong skills, or year around football? Some will say you can do it all, but not with much quality. Many of these youngsters are putting in 40 hour weeks in the summertime for football. Weights, 7 on 7, individuals, team camps, plus trying to play other sports. I know this conversation has been had before and some think our Kansas kids are at a disadvantage, but I'd argue just the opposite. Not having spring football, etc... is a allowing Kansas kids to develop other areas of their life.

In summary... I assure you many will end up regretting it. They may never admit it, but they will.

I agree as well Wild. I grew up in KS, graduated from KSU, but my job took me to AR after graduation. I am going to preface my next comments by saying I am a die-hard sports fanatic. Sometimes I think the only reason I went to class when I was in school was just so I could participate in my chosen sport (because if you didn't go to class, you didn't practice and if you didn't practice, you didn't play). However, with that being said, the focus here on athletics is crazy over-the-top.

I have two kids here in AR, both in high school sports. Their last block or period of class is "practice".....the entire school year. For example, my daughter plays volleyball. Her last block of class each day is volleyball practice....again, all academic year. In AR high school, there is only a two-week dead period that starts the last week of June and ends the first Monday after 4th of July. That means, they can legally practice their high school sport (they're "forced" to choose one) for 50 weeks a year and most student-athletes do.

Using my daughter's volleyball as an example; immediately following the conclusion of volleyball season (usually in early November), they start club (travel) volleyball. This will last until at least April, but sometimes until June. Well, in June they start their school volleyball practice (sans the two week dead period) for the next season. So, as you can see, it's all year around.

High school football (and most other sports) here in AR is the same way.....spring practice, 7-on-7 school sanctioned games in the summer, etc. Heck, even in junior high, they will frequently conduct two-a-days in the spring if weather is conducive......weights in Block Zero (in the morning before classes start), then normal football practice outside in their last block.

The high school basketball teams here play in early season tournaments in the Dallas area between Christmas and New Year.....so much for time with family. The baseball teams usually play in tournaments in AZ or FL during spring break....sounds fun, but as a family you have no choice where to spend your spring break and I would say it's not quality family time.

No wonder so many kids are burnt-out and/or experience injuries at a young age. The parents of these athletes are just as bad. A teammate of my daughter plays on a club volleyball team in Dallas (5+ hour drive) and we've met multiple boys through my son's baseball that plays on travel teams in the Little Rock area (about 3+ hours from us). One father paid for private QB lessons in Los Angeles for his son....they fly there at least once-a-month. Is it really worth-it??!!

I hear ya loud and clear. I'm in the profession and I battle it. I think it's tragic what we do to kids as it relates to HS sports. I look at some of these over the top football coaches and it sickens me. These kids will run through a brick wall for them and they take complete advantage of that. They see them every day from August to November, then they start skill work in December-May, then weights, individual work, camps, 7 on 7, etc... all summer, and often put guilt trips on the kids if they want to play or attend another sport. 1 out of every 20ish where I'm at, will get a football scholarship somewhere (most likely a small college where they're still going to pay out the ying yang) and also where I'm from, 1 out of every 300 or so will actually get a D1 offer of any kind, yet we take up their entire year. What a joke. I'm down on football because it's, by far, the worst, followed by basketball and baseball.

Unless you've been through it, coached it, or have had kids go through it, you have no idea of the insanity and I'm speaking of Kansas. It doesn't touch the insanity of down south. What kills me is the # of parents who just fall in line, even when they know it's BS. I thank god I grew up in the 70's. I played sports year around and about as close to 24/7 as you can imagine, but never the same sport for more than 3 months. I then moved on to the next one and was actually excited for it (not burned out). The difference is variety and not year long training.

I'll say it again. I hope Kansas never allows coaches to have the amount of contact that is allowed in OK, Texas, etc.... We get criticized because we don't produce hundreds of D1 athletes, but we're not that far behind per capita and I know where I'd rather be if I was an "average" kid (as most are in terms of D1 talent). I'd rather be in a place I could play 1 sport and move to the next and just be a kid.

The wife and I had this conversation when my son hit HS 6 years ago and again when my daughter did 3 years ago. We are from a small town and know the importance of kids playing all sports. We saw daughters of 2 of our neighbors that just pushed the softball thing. They spent every weekend in other states playing. They would have to drive an hour away during the school week for practices, and every day in the summer. They must have spent thousands of dollars over the HS days. Each girl ended up at Juco's. Maybe that is good enough for them, who knows.

We currently have a HS player that does basketball, and then her weekends are spent traveling to VB tournaments. No time to rest and recover. Then to hear the parents talk about how they aren't sure why she isn't producing during basketball season........duh........poor girl can't have any energy left.

Pick 'Em

Want to play a funny joke? Those parents that spend their entire kid's childhood driving all over America to tournaments.... We all know the kind. People trying to live through their kids. Ask them how much they've spent over the years and then explain how much a softball, baseball, football, or basketball scholarship is worth at a small college. I know multiple kids that are playing at NAIA schools and after all scholarship $, are still paying about what they'd pay at KState. Also, even if you're D1 in baseball, you aren't going to get a full ride.

It's their business, but I assure you that many of these kids don't understand three things when they are 8-16 years old. 1. The odds of getting a scholarship aren't good 2. You are missing out on much of childhood events (My son played on a good traveling baseball team when he was 10, 11, 12, but the final straw for me was when they played in tournaments on Memorial Weekend, Fathers Day weekend, and 4th of July weekend all in one summer. Enough was enough. Not only were we missing out on life, I was spending far too much money for what? As I found out... An unhappy son who still could have played baseball in college if he wanted to. He chose not to. I thank god we put a stop to the madness when we did, however, he then got into High School and was regularly putting in 35 hour weeks splitting between weights, football individuals, basketball individuals, 7 on 7, baseball games, and camps. It was maddening and I'm in the profession. I do not believe in what we are doing to kids in this aspect and refuse to take part in it. When summer time hits, my expectations are to attend weight training to keep getting stronger and for team chemistry purposes. Outside of that, you choose. Expecting kids to attend everything for every sport is flat out ridiculous, but that's what happens. Coaches get very territorial and much pressure is placed on these kids. No thanks. That's not why I got in the business and why I back KSHSAA all the way on not allowing what Texas, OK, etc... allow), and 3. The next level is not very much fun. What you're spending you're entire childhood working for, just isn't going to be the same at the next level. It just isn't. For some, all of the time and $ spent will parlay into a career, but for very few. Most are not going to get scholarships, most are going to end up with college debt, and most, whether they admit it or not, are going to wish they'd have done things a bit differently. It may take until they're 30 or even 40, but nothing takes the place of a well balanced childhood, imo.

Want to play a funny joke? Those parents that spend their entire kid's childhood driving all over America to tournaments.... We all know the kind. People trying to live through their kids. Ask them how much they've spent over the years and then explain how much a softball, baseball, football, or basketball scholarship is worth at a small college. I know multiple kids that are playing at NAIA schools and after all scholarship $, are still paying about what they'd pay at KState. Also, even if you're D1 in baseball, you aren't going to get a full ride.

It's their business, but I assure you that many of these kids don't understand three things when they are 8-16 years old. 1. The odds of getting a scholarship aren't good 2. You are missing out on much of childhood events (My son played on a good traveling baseball team when he was 10, 11, 12, but the final straw for me was when they played in tournaments on Memorial Weekend, Fathers Day weekend, and 4th of July weekend all in one summer. Enough was enough. Not only were we missing out on life, I was spending far too much money for what? As I found out... An unhappy son who still could have played baseball in college if he wanted to. He chose not to. I thank god we put a stop to the madness when we did, however, he then got into High School and was regularly putting in 35 hour weeks splitting between weights, football individuals, basketball individuals, 7 on 7, baseball games, and camps. It was maddening and I'm in the profession. I do not believe in what we are doing to kids in this aspect and refuse to take part in it. When summer time hits, my expectations are to attend weight training to keep getting stronger and for team chemistry purposes. Outside of that, you choose. Expecting kids to attend everything for every sport is flat out ridiculous, but that's what happens. Coaches get very territorial and much pressure is placed on these kids. No thanks. That's not why I got in the business and why I back KSHSAA all the way on not allowing what Texas, OK, etc... allow), and 3. The next level is not very much fun. What you're spending you're entire childhood working for, just isn't going to be the same at the next level. It just isn't. For some, all of the time and $ spent will parlay into a career, but for very few. Most are not going to get scholarships, most are going to end up with college debt, and most, whether they admit it or not, are going to wish they'd have done things a bit differently. It may take until they're 30 or even 40, but nothing takes the place of a well balanced childhood, imo.